


French Inquisition

by WorryinglyInnocent



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: A Monthly Rumbelling, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-25
Updated: 2016-11-25
Packaged: 2018-09-02 04:34:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8651365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WorryinglyInnocent/pseuds/WorryinglyInnocent
Summary: Rum Gold is of the fervent opinion that his son is far too interested in his love life. Belle French figures that if Bae wants to ask his father about their relationship, she’ll give him something to ask about…
Written for the Monthly Rumbelling prompt: “I’m not going to stop poking you until you give me attention.”





	

**Rated:** G

**Prompt:** “I’m not going to stop poking you until you give me attention.”

**Summary:** Rum Gold is of the fervent opinion that his son is far too interested in his love life. Belle French figures that if Bae wants to ask his father about their relationship, she’ll give him something to ask about…

**Word Count:** 1294

===========

**French Inquisition**

“I’m not going to stop poking you until you give me attention.”

Gold reached across and caught his son’s hand before the surprisingly sharp index finger could find its way between his ribs again, but he did not look up from his notebook and the important specifications of an antique dinner service that he had been asked to value for probate.

“Yes, you are,” he said calmly. He felt Bae wriggle around on the sofa beside him, and then the other hand was jabbing into his side. Gold sighed, put down his pencil, and grabbed the other hand as well.

“Well, you’ve got to pay attention to me now that you can’t hold a pencil,” Bae said sagely. “Unless you’re just going to stare at your notebook for however long because you’re pointedly ignoring me. And parents shouldn’t pointedly ignore their children. That’s neglect.”

The boy had a point, annoyingly; he couldn’t keep working without his hands. With a heavy sigh, Gold relaxed his grip on his son’s fingers and turned to him.

“All right, Bae. You have my full, undivided attention.”

Bae grinned widely. “So,” he began. “What’s going on between you and Miss French?”

Gold groaned inwardly. There it was, the question that he had been dreading and the very reason why he had not been rising to Bae’s pleas for attention.

“There is nothing going on between me and Miss French,” he said, with a degree of patience that he really wasn’t feeling.

“Are you absolutely sure about that?” Bae pressed. “Because Emma said that her mum said that her dad saw you at the diner and you were looking ‘cosy’. Her words, not mine.”

“Wait, I’m confused, was it Emma who saw us? Or Emma’s mum, Emma’s dad, or Emma’s mum’s dad, who unless I’m very much mistaken has been dead longer than you’ve been alive?”

“What does it matter? You’re not denying that you were together.”

“It was a business meeting,” Gold muttered.

“Oh yeah? A ‘cosy’ business meeting that involved holding hands under the table and stealing each other’s fries?”

“We were doing nothing of the sort!” Gold exploded.

“What, the hand-holding or the fry-stealing?”

“Either!”

“Now you’re going to tell me that you didn’t share a toffee sundae, you didn’t walk her home, and you didn’t kiss her on the doorstep?”

Gold gave his son an incredulous look.

“Have you got a private detective tailing me?”

“No, Morraine lives opposite Miss French. I notice you’re not denying it, though.”

“Sweet Jesus…” Gold ran a hand though his hair. “Yes, I went on a date with Miss French last Saturday whilst you were at your mother’s. Yes, we shared a sundae, although your spy in the diner failed to notice that it was strawberry, not toffee. And yes, we kissed on her doorstep after I walked her home like any gentleman would have done. Are you satisfied yet?”

Bae nodded and sat back against the sofa cushions, watching the TV for all of five seconds before he spoke again.

“So, when are you seeing her again?”

“Bae! Drop it!”

“I can’t drop it! She’s my future stepmother! These things are important for a teenager to know!”

“We’ve been on one date, it’s hardly proposal-worthy.”

“Yes, and you’ll never get to that stage if you don’t hurry up and ask her out again. I mean, I know Storybrooke’s not the biggest of towns but you’re not the only eligible bachelor out there.”

“Bae! For God’s sake! I think that having this much of an interest in your father’s love life is unhealthy!”

“I’m just glad that you have a love life,” Bae said blithely. “Miss French is nice. You should see her again. I give her my full seal of approval as a potential stepmother.”

“Bae!”

“I’m not going to let up until you ask her out again. Hey, why not tomorrow? I’m going over to Morraine’s to work on our science project.”

“Morraine being the one who lives opposite Belle.”

“Oh, so we’re on first name terms now?” Bae grinned. “Go on, ask her out again.”

“No.”

“You know you will eventually,” Bae said “I’m just going to keep prodding you until you do.”

Gold sprang up off the sofa before Bae could poke him again.

“All right, all right! I’m blaming you if she says no.”

He went into the kitchen to make the call, not wanting to give Bae the satisfaction of being able to listen in, and with slightly shaking fingers, he hit Belle’s number.

Miss Belle French was a comparatively recent arrival in Storybrooke, coming in around six months previously to take on the position of English teacher and librarian at Bae’s school. Gold had been head over heels in love with her from the first moment he had laid eyes on her, looking into his shop window in wonder, but he wasn’t going to admit that little fact to anyone just yet. Least of all to Bae. It had taken him this long to invite her to dinner when she had made one of her regular excursions into the shop, and he really needed more time to recover before he did it again.

“Hello Rum,” Belle’s warm voice suddenly said in his ear.

“Ah, um, yes, erm, hello Belle. I hope I’m not disturbing you,” he garbled.

“No, not at all. I was about to call you, actually.”

“You were?” Gold gulped.

“Yes. I had such a lovely time on Saturday and I was hoping that you might want to do it again soon.”

“I, erm, yes!” Gold exclaimed. “Yes, that would be great. That was why I was calling. Tomorrow at six?”

“Sounds perfect. Granny’s again?”

“I was thinking somewhere a little quieter. Marco’s, the Italian place?”

“Lovely. I’ll see you there. Have a good night, Rum.”

“You too, Belle.”

Gold looked around the kitchen with a goofy smile before going out to face the scrutiny of his son.

“And?” Bae asked as soon as he re-entered the living room. “You’re smiling so she must have said yes.”

“Never you mind,” Gold grumbled. “And if you start poking me again, you’re going to be grounded for the rest of your life.”

Bae just laughed, and Gold settled back on the sofa in anticipation of his second date with Belle.

X

“Thank you so much, Rum. It’s been a wonderful night.”

“Thank you for joining me.”

“I don’t think that it would have been anywhere near as much fun if either of us were on our own.” Belle laughed. They were standing on her doorstep, and her plump red lips looked so very kissable. Unfortunately, Gold was very aware of the twitching curtains at the house across the street.

Belle peered past him and smiled.

“Looks like we’ve got an audience.” She licked her lips. “I’ll understand if you don’t want to kiss whilst your son’s watching.”

“Oh Belle, I want to kiss you very much. I’ll be getting the inquisition later anyway.”

“Well, we may as well give him something to ask about,” Belle said, hooking her arms around his neck and pressing her soft lips against his. Gold wrapped his arms around her, pulling her petite form in closer. Belle’s mouth opened for him eagerly, and in that moment, Gold didn’t want to break away.

But eventually, they both had to breathe, and Belle pulled away, looking up at him with bright eyes and a wide smile.

“Thank you,” she said. “I’ll see you soon, yes?”

“Definitely.”

They said their goodbyes and Belle vanished into her home. Gold smiled to himself before turning to see Morraine and Bae’s utterly gobsmacked faces in the window opposite.

Oh, but the inquisition would be worth it for the memory of that kiss.


End file.
